F&W Top New chef Thessa Diadem‘s stunning sticky buns made from L.A.’s All Day Baby are packed with sweet potato infused with ginger and spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla. They are rolled into a soft dough that bakes up smooth and pale, much like substantial cinnamon rolls; they have an ounce of sweet potato inside each bite. The buns are glazed with butterscotch and then decorated with marshmallow toast. These buns make the perfect option for brunch. Serve them freshly baked and topped with a toasted marshmallow for optimal outcomes.
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Filling
- Two medium-sized (about 12-ounce) sweet potatoes
- 1/2 vanilla bean pod
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon of acceptable sea salt
- Two tablespoons of finely chopped crystallized ginger
Dough
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (about 17 ounces), plus more for dusting
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup non-fat dry milk powder
- One tablespoon instant yeast (from 2 [1/4-ounce] envelopes)
- One teaspoon of acceptable sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Two large eggs
- One large egg yolk
- Five tablespoons unsalted butter (2 1/2 ounces), softened, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces, plus more for greasing molds.
- Cooking spray
Cinnamon Butterscotch Glaze
- 1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of acceptable sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla Bean Marshmallow Fluff
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- Three tablespoons of light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon of acceptable sea salt
- Three large egg whites at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 vanilla bean pod
Directions
Make the Sweet Potato Filling
- Poke sweet potatoes in several locations using a fork. Place them on a plate and microwave at the HIGH setting until they are softened, about 9-12 minutes, flipping every halfway throughout cooking time. You can also bake sweet potato at 375 degrees until tender, approximately 45 minutes. Allow 10 minutes to cool. Cut in half lengthwise. Take the flesh and place it in a large bowl. Discard skins. With a fork, smash flesh until it is almost smooth. Allow to cool completely, around 30 minutes. Take 1 1/3 cups of mashed sweet potato into a food processor. Save any remaining sweet potato mashed to use in another way.
- Utilizing the blade’s blade, remove the seeds of vanilla bean pods into a food processor. Discard the pod. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, ground ginger, nutmeg cardamom, and salt to a food processor. Blend until the mixture is very smooth, approximately 30 seconds, stopping periodically to scrape the sides of the bowl. Transfer the mixture to an individual bowl and mix in the ginger crystals. Keep the dough covered and chilled while making the dough for at least one hour or as long as 12 hours.
Make the Dough
- In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until it is 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, between 2 and 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to 110 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.
- Mix sugar, flour, milk powder, yeast, salt, and cardamom in the bowl that is a stand mixer. Add eggs and egg yolk. Attach the bowl to the machine with a dough hook. Mix on low speed until the dough is crumbly, approximately 30 minutes. While the mixer is running at low, slowly stream through warm milk. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium and then beat until dry ingredients are thoroughly blended, approximately 2 minutes. Add butter one tablespoon at a time beating at medium speed, incorporating between additions. It should take between 2 and 3 minutes in total. Continue beating at moderate speed until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and shiny, approximately 10 minutes. The dough will be slightly sticky.
- Lightly spray an 8-inch square baking dish using cooking spray. Transfer the dough to the pan and press down on the corners to create an even layer. Grease hands with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Wrap the dough loosely in plastic wrap, lightly coated with cooking oil. Allow to stand at room temperature (about 80 degrees Fahrenheit) until the dough has doubled in size up to one hour or one hour 30 mins. (Proofing your dough with a square pan rather than the bowl will make it much easier to make an oval.)
- Turn dough over a lightly floured work surface and then make a 12-10-inch square (about half an inch thick). Distribute sweet potato mix evenly across the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border across one long side. Starting from the opposite long end, you can roll the dough jelly-roll style, pressing down to ensure it is sealed. With a delicate, sharp knife or non-flavored dental floss, cut dough logs evenly into six (2-inch) pieces. Grease six (4-inch-round and 1-inch tall) rings made of metal with butter, then arrange the calls uniformly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the rolls on the rings and press gently to flatten them to 1 3/4 inches high. (Alternatively, arrange the rolls evenly placed in a greased 13-x-9-inch baking pan, and gently encourage them to flatten until about 1 3/4 inches tall.) Wrap them loosely in plastic wrap that is lightly coated with cooking oil. Allow standing at room temperature (about 80 degrees F) until the rolls have grown to fill the ring molds (or are touching within the 13-x 9-inch pan) for 45 minutes to an hour.
While the rolls are being proofed, Make this Cinnamon Butterscotch glaze.
- Mix brown sugar with heavy cream cinnamon, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and whisk it continuously over medium. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reads 220degF on an instant-read thermometer, between 2 and 3 minutes. Put glaze in a bowl and cool to room temperature for approximately 1 hour. Stir in vanilla.
- In the final 30 minutes of proofing, heat the oven to 350°F, placing the rack in the third lower position.
- Cover the proofed rolls and bake in the preheated oven until the rolls rise and become golden brown between 24 and 28 minutes. Remove from oven and Let the rolls cool in rings for 5 minutes. With tongs, take calls off. Cool the buns entirely on a baking sheet (or in a baking pan) for about 30 minutes.
When you’re ready to assemble when you are ready to make, prepare it into the Vanilla Marshmallow Bean Fluff.
Sugar, 1 cup of water, corn syrup, and salt in a tiny saucepan on medium-high. Stir frequently until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture reads 240 degrees F using an instant-read thermometer. Between 6 and 8 minutes. When the sugar mixture has reached 300degF, beat egg whites using a very well-maintained bowl of the stand mixer equipped with a whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until it becomes foamy in approximately 30 minutes. Incorporate cream of tartar into egg whites and beat at low speed till soft peaks appear, about 1 to 2 minutes. (The sugar mixture should be at 240°F while the egg whites are at a soft peak.) Once the sugar mixture is at the temperature of 240°F, using a mixer at medium speed, gradually drizzle the sugar mixture over the egg whites. While the mixer is running at low speed, remove the seeds of the vanilla bean pods half into the mix. Discard pod. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high. Beat until the marshmallow develops glossy stiff peaks and the bowl of the mixer becomes hot (not warm) at the point of contact, which takes about 2 minutes.
Assemble the Buns
Mix the glaze. When baked using ring molds, place in the middle of every bun in ice, and then let any excess run back to the bowl. Sprinkle approximately 3/4 cup glaze over the buns if baking in a baking dish. The glaze can be saved to use later. (Refrigerate glaze for up to 3 days. Drizzle remaining glaze over apple pie or ice cream.) Vanilla bean marshmallows are arranged equally (about 1/4 cup for each) over the buns. With a kitchen torch, gently toast the marshmallow. Or, broil the buns over a baking sheet safe for broilers at least 8 inches from your source of heat until the marshmallow has slightly toasted, between 1 and 3 minutes. Serve immediately.
